2024 F1 Round 3, Australian GP FP3: Leclerc Fastest Again in 1:16.714, Top Four Covered by 0.092 Seconds

Final practice for the 2024 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix concluded at Albert Park on the morning of 23 March Beijing time. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the times with a 1:16.714, the fastest lap of the weekend so far. Just 0.092 seconds covered the leading four drivers, pointing to a closely fought battle for pole in qualifying.

Melbourne was overcast, and the session began in dry conditions with an air temperature of 18°C and a track temperature of 26°C. With Logan Sargeant withdrawn from the weekend after handing his chassis to team-mate Alexander Albon, the remaining 19 cars completed their final set-up work during the one-hour session.

Max Verstappen complained over the radio early in the session that the brakes were not biting, but once the tyres and brakes reached their operating temperatures, he finished second, just 0.020 seconds behind. Carlos Sainz was still not fully recovered physically after surgery, yet produced a result unlike those of the other 18 cars: his personal best, good enough for third, came on medium tyres. It put him in the pole-position conversation while also underlining the Ferrari SF-24’s strengths at Albert Park.

Fourth place went to a somewhat unexpected team. Mercedes had struggled on Friday after taking a badly wrong direction with its set-up, but substantial changes for final practice appeared to help: Lewis Hamilton was fourth and George Russell fifth. Fernando Alonso, Sergio Pérez, Oscar Piastri, Lance Stroll and Lando Norris completed the top ten, in that order.

RB’s Yuki Tsunoda missed the top ten by 0.183 seconds and finished eleventh, ahead of Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas. He therefore did not finish in the top ten in every practice session. Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo struggled and was only eighteenth.